Airplane engine arrangement



I April 19, 1932- G. M. BELLANCA AIRPLANE ENGINE ARRANGEMENT Filed June'7, 1930 w f/ JV/ )WmaA :jmdn/wko@ @05E/Pi M hm/rm www ah/ Patented Apr.19, 1932 PATENT FFIC GIUSEPPE M. BELLANCA,-OF NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE vAIRPLANE ENGINE ARRANGEMENT Application filed `l'une 7, 1-930. SerialNo. 459,742.

This invention relates in general to airplanes and more particularly hasreference to an improved arrangement for airplane motors. Y

Heretofore it has been customary to provide airplanes with one or moreengines, each being connected with a propeller for driving the airplane.Because of the likelihood of any single engine becoming disabled duringHight, an airplane in which the power'is furnished by a plurality ofindependent units is obviously highly desirable.

Up to this time, multi-motored air planes ,have been constructed withtheir respective power plants arranged in a number of different ways.Probably ,the most common of these has been the tri-motored type ofplane carrying one motor on the nose of the fuselage anda motor on eachwing at equal distances from the fuselage; Another type has been thebi-motored plane having one motor positioned on each wing at equaldistances from the fuselage. Yet another type has been the multi-motoredplane. In this type the motors are grouped in pairs on the wings,

there being an even number of pairs so that the plane will be balanced.vThe respective pairs are arranged in tandem, so that in each paironemotor operates a pushing propeller and the other a pulling propeller.

Although the arrangements of engines above discussed have secured someof the advantages of multiplying the number of independent units inairplanes, each of these also has certain pronounced drawbacks.Prominent among these is the inherent feature in each arrangement,except in the trimotored arrangement, whereby the resultant drivingeffect of all the motors is thrown off center upon the failure of anysingle unit. This is also true of the tri-motored type of arrangementexcept in the case where the motorvwhich fails is the central motor.

It is also noted that when the engines are mounted on the wings therearises the necessity of relatively heavy framing to support them, thusweight of the plane. Furthermore, this framing as well as the motorsthemselves,

substantially increasingV the substantially increases the total airresistance to the airplane. 1

An arrangement of engines in line, as set forth in my cospendingapplicationSerial No. 459,741, filed June 7, 1930, has proved verysatisfactory and has overcome in a practical manner most of thedifficulties above set forth. However, this arrangement of the enginesin line takes up a substantial amount of the space within the fuselage,and is for that reason somewhat undesirable.

It is apparent that any arrangementv of a plurality of motors in anairplane in such a manner as to avoid the above-mentioned difficultiesWould be highly desirable.

To overcome the above and other disadvantages Ain the priorarrangementsv of airplane motors is one of the objects of' thisinvention.

Another object of this invention is to pro- P vide an arrangement ofmotors in an airplane whereby the failure of one motor will notsubstantially imbalance the resultant driving force exerted on theplane.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an arrangement ofthemotors in an airplane wherebythe application of force due to the actionof the propeller connected withV each individual motor is substantiallyin the same straight line longitudinally of the airplane. y Anotherobject of this invention is to provide an arrangement of motors in anairplane whereby the application of force to an airplane by thepropeller connected to each individual motor is substantially along aline passing through thevcenter of gravity of the airplane.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of an arrangementof motors in an airplane in which the motors are not eX- posed to and donot interfere with the air stream.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement ofmotors in an airplane in which it is not necessary to have heavy framemembers 'for motor suports.

With the above and other objects in View this invention oomprehends anarrangementof engines in an airplane in such a manner that under nocircumstances can the point of application of the resultant force to theairplane be substantially changed. Y

To assist in an adequate understanding of this invention, and wishing itto be distinctly understood that various changes and modifications maybe made in the preferred embodiment herein shown by way of examplewithout departing from the spirit or scope of my invention, reference ismade to the accompanying drawings in which similar numerals indicatecorresponding parts.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan viewl of an airplane of themonoplanetype disclosing the novel arrangement of motors within thefuselage.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic front view of the structure shown in Figure1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings there is shown inoutline an airplane of the monoplane type having a fuselage 1 and a wing2. This wing is provided at its trailing ,edge with the usual ailerons 3and is further provided with brace members e extending from its lowersurface to the 'lower portion of the fuselage. These brace lmembers 4are preferably of the type which Athemn selves are formed to furnish asustaining surface to assist in supporting the airplane. At tached tothe lower portion of the airplane in any conventional manner butpreferably by being attached to .the braces i adjacent the fuselage arethe wheel supporting structures 5 carrying the landing wheels 6. Thebrace members et are in turn reinforced by vertically extending strutmembers da, arrange-d substantially Aabove ythe respective landingWheels.

To the rearmost portion of the fuselage 1 the rearwardly extendingsupport members 7 for supporting the empennage are attached. Thisempennage consists of the usual rudder 8 Vand elevators 9. This tailstructure is fun ther .braced against lateral movements by means oftension members 11. As is well known, this Outrigger type of empennagehas numerous advantages, among which are lightness and ease of control.lt is also apparent that this construction enables a standardization infuselage size and construction. As will hereinafter more fully appear,this type of construction is also well adapted to my improvedarrangement of motors and propellers.

At its forward and rearward ends, the fuselage is provided with tractorand pusher propellers 12 and 13 respectively for driving the airplane.Hthin the fuselage there is arranged the engine 14 adjacent the nose ofand slightly to one side of the center -line of the fuselage for thepurpose of driving the trartor propeller 12 through the intermediary ofthe propeller shaft 15. Directly by the side of and occupying a similar'position on the opposite side of the center line of the fuselage fromthe engine 14 there is arranged a second engine 16 for the purpose ofdriving the pusher propeller 13 through the intermediary of the shaft17. The shafts and 17 are arranged to extend along closely adjacentparallel lines so that each of the propellers attached to the respectiveshafts will act on the airplane to drive it in exactly the samedirection. These engines may be of any welllrnown type, such as gasolineor Diesel and maybe water-cooled.

lt will be seen that there has been pr vided an arrangementof aplurality of motors in an airplane whereby in the event of the failureof one of the motors the other would continue to propel the plane in thesame direction, .and the line of application of its propelling forcewould Vbe only slightly removed from the resultant Vline of applicationof the propelling forces of the two motors taken together.

lt will l e clearly seen that the arrangement of motors herein set forthhas most of the advantages of the arrangement of motors in line in thatthe failure of one of the motors would not substantially change the lineof application of the resultant propelling force exerted on theairplane. At the same time it will be seen that this arrangement ofengines allows both of the engines to .be placed closely adj cent thenose of the fuselage and leaves the maj or part of the interior of thefuselage open and free for other uses.

It will further be seen that the mounting of the motors within thefuselage has made it possible to mount them more directly upon thestrong frame of which the fuselage is constructed and to eliminate thenecessity for heavy framework for supporting ,them outside of thefuselage.

lt is also apparent that by placing the motors within the fuselage theair resistance caused by the motors and by any framework provided fortheir supporthas been substantially eliminated. i

Also placing the motors within the fuselage has allowed the positioningof the propellers of the airplane so that the line of thrust due to theaction of each propeller passes substantially through the center ofgravity of the airplane as a whole.

It will be appreciated that while the invention has been shown asapplied to an airplane of the monoplane type, it might as well beincorporated in an airplane of any other type commonly in use.

lt will be appreciated as aforementioned that various modifications andalterations may he made in the arrangement herein described withoutexceeding the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims,it being distinctly understood that the prior art and the claims hereinincluded alone are to be definitive of the invention.

I claim:

1. ln an airplane having a fuselage, a plurality of engines arrangedside by side within the fuselage adapted to drive tractor and pusherpropellers, respectively, having the hubs thereof concentric with thecrank shafts of the engines.

2. In an airplane having a fuselage, a plurality of engines arrangedside by'side within and adjacent. the nose of Jthe fuselage, adapted todrive tractor and pusher propellers, respectively, having the hubsthereof concentric with the crank shafts of the engines.

3. In an airplane having a fuselage, a plurality of engines arrangedside by side within the fuselage adapted to drive tractor and pusherpropellers, respectively, having the hubs thereof concentric with thecrank shafts of the engines, the crankshafts of said engines beingarranged to extend longitudinally of the fuselage.

4. In an airplane having a fuselage, a forwardly arranged tractor'propeller, a rearwardly arranged pusher propeller, and a plurality ofengines arranged side by side within said fuselage and connectedV toactuate said propellers, the hubs of the propellers being concentricwith the crank shafts of the engines.

5. In an airplane having a fuselage, two engines arranged within thefuselage and occupying similar positions immediately adjacent and oneither side of the center line of the fuselage adapted to drive tractorand pusher propellers, respectively, having the hubs thereof concentricwith the crank shafts of the engines.

6. In an airplane having a fuselage, two engines arranged within thefuselage adjacent its nose and occupying similar positions immediatelyadjacent and on either side of the center line of the fuselage adaptedto drive tractor and pusher propellers, respectively, having the hubsthereof concentric with the crank shafts ofthe engines.

7. In an airplane having a fuselage and a plurality of engines arrangedside by side within the fuselage, adapted to drive tractor and pusherpropellers having the hubs thereof in substantial alignment with thecrank shafts of the motors.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

GIUSEPPE M. BELLANCA.

